Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 08.01.2010 – Unpredictable life – a tribute to Levin Madhavan

Posted on January 8, 2011 Updated on June 6, 2015

Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 08.01.2010 – Unpredictable life – a tribute to Levin Madhavan

DURING the later part of the ‘90s, I used to have a good friend here. He was a sound engineer and a good RJ working for a radio station that time. Due to his passion for music and arts, we became good friends.

It happened that due to some wrong relationships and moves in life and due to job loss, he had a disastrous end of residency in UAE and left to India for good.

I lost touch with him. It was after almost seven years, I got a call from him and he talked a lot about his life now and then and in between. He was still in love with Dubai and the life and friends and connections he had and was finding it difficult to overcome his huge losses and betrayals. We continued to keep in touch once in a while since then.

It was in April 2010 first week, he called me last and I promised him, next time when I visit India, I will make it a point to travel via his city and meet him.

Although I visited several times after, due to conflicting and hectic schedule, it never happened. However, I kept on writing him mails and was hoping that he was busy but reading my clicks and writes, as he used to tell me and appreciate them whenever he calls.

He was not a regular on email and his schedules were also not easy to reply and hence I thought he must be extremely busy. Last week suddenly, I received an email from a common friend based in Saudi Arabia, asking me about my friend’s or his family contact details back home. In his letter, he wrote about his demise in the first week of April itself.

It was a shock for me when I checked my diary. I found it was exactly after a day he talked to me. All throughout our friendship, he never asked me anything, but that time, he had asked me to enquire about a recording instrument, which may be obsolete now, but may still be available in Dubai second-hand market.

He told me that time itself it may be difficult to find, and even then I searched for it and never found one such unit and had written to him in one of the emails. My emails continued till I received this shocking news.

We meet people strangely in our life’s journey and some remain with us, some move away. Some even though they move, still remain in many ways in our memories, thoughts and deeds. Levin Madhavan was one such person, who will remain in my thoughts and prayers throughout my life.

Ramesh Menon

To read it in original, please visit GULF TODAY online.

Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 01.01.2010 – Magic Words

Posted on January 1, 2011

Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 01.01.2010 – Magic Words

Magic words

A New Year comes with lots of expectations and renewed vigour for all. It is a time to think for a change. Many of us come out with new resolutions and make promises to keep those new options permanent to benefit for the days ahead. As we progress, we tend to stray away from them and fit into our old scheme of things. Life goes on as usual. Make sure, all good things planned remain in your focus and action scheme for the next 365 days to come.

I have a friend who told me this incident. He is struggling these days due to various problems happening in life. His job is good and work environment is good too. At office he has a senior manager, who asks him daily with a beautiful smile, “how are you doing today?”

He says, this is one question that keeps him optimistic and forget all his worries and look forward to a productive day ahead. It is like a vitamin to instill enthusiasm, optimism and energy. We may not find many managers like the one my friend luckily has with him. It is an example worth emulating by those in senior positions to motivate their sub-ordinates. A smile, a kind word or a casual query to cheer up and motivate. If not already practised, why not we try to follow it and make it a practice to stimulate the capabilities of those surrounding us.

Let it be an addition to our list of new year resolutions.

Ramesh Menon

To read it in original, please visit Gulf Today online.

Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 25.12.2010 – Pleasant Journey

Posted on December 25, 2010 Updated on June 6, 2015

Short Take – GULF TODAY – Dt. 25.12.2010 – Pleasant Journey

Short Take: Pleasant journey
December 25, 2010

WE have reached almost the end of 2010. It was an eventful year considering the economic situation and progress made with limited resources. Those who held on to their hopes and dreams and progressed even an inch have to really congratulate themselves. It requires lot of determination and self-motivation. I salute all those who did it.

I was at a HSE campaign recently. We were segregating waste materials and each one had his own task to do. I was observing a little boy and his father. The boy was very particular in not mixing plastic with paper. He was saying, “Dad, if we mix it, it is not good for the environment. It has to be properly recycled. That’s what my teacher has told us in our class.” I was happy to hear him promoting HSE in his own small way.

Christmas and New Year have brought lot of visitors to the UAE this year. It is a promising sign to see the tourism industry and the business in this region flourishing. It brings hope to all that the economy will revive in 2011 and all those who suffered in some way or other due to the impact of recession will have reasons to smile in the new year and days ahead.

It has been an enjoyable journey for me with Short Take. Each week I had a set objective to look forward to, identify a small happening around and describe it in a friendly way for the benefit of those who love to read.

Ramesh Menon

To read it in original, please visit GULF TODAY online.